‘Really poor’ – Jamie Carragher criticises Liverpool trio who need to do ‘an awful lot more’

Jamie Carragher called out three Liverpool players who he felt were ‘really poor’ and contributed little in the 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.

The Reds are just about clinging onto faint hope of progression to the Champions League semi-finals after being comprehensively outplayed at the Parc des Princes, with Ally McCoist still giving them a chance of overturning the first-leg deficit.

Summer signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were among the starters for Arne Slot’s side, while Alexander Isak made his comeback from injury as a late substitute, but none of them were able to have much of an impact on proceedings.

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Carragher critical of ‘really poor’ Liverpool trio

As he sifted through the wreckage of last night’s result, Carragher pointed the finger at Liverpool’s three most expensive acquisitions from the summer 2025 transfer window, believing that all three haven’t been doing enough for the team thus far.

Speaking on punditry duty for CBS Sports Golazo, the former Reds defender said: “I think they’ve got away with quite a bit of criticism actually, the new signings, because we’ve almost said they’re new signings, they’re getting up to speed.

“Ekitike was really poor tonight. I said before the game, and I include Wirtz and Isak in this, to be a top player for Liverpool as an attacking player, you need to be arrogant on the ball but humble off the ball. They’re not humble off the ball. They don’t do enough off the ball, and that’s why it’s easy to play against Liverpool right now.

“I include Isak who came on, Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, who has got to do an awful lot more. The best way you can describe Florian Wirtz right now – he’s cost £125m [sic] – is that he’s neat and tidy.”

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Wirtz and Ekitike have regressed in recent weeks

Excluding potential add-ons, the trio who Carragher mentioned cost Liverpool a combined £294m last summer, and they were signed to make a difference on big European occasions such as PSG in a quarter-final.

We can excuse Isak as he’s played so little football and had scant time to make an impact last night, but it’s reasonable to expect so much more from Wirtz and Ekitike, especially having seen what both are capable of in a red shirt.

In 78 minutes each on the pitch in Paris, the latter two completed just 30 passes and recorded two shots combined whilst losing the ball 23 times (Sofascore), with the Frenchman culpable of conceding possession cheaply against his former club.

That duo enjoyed a purple patch of form over the winter but have been worryingly ineffective in recent weeks.

All six of Wirtz’s Liverpool goals came during a 10-match spell between Christmas and the end of January, with none in his subsequent 10 games. Meanwhile, Ekitike is our leading scorer this season with 17 goals, but just two of those have come during his last dozen appearances.

It wasn’t a night where the Reds had much opportunity to showcase their attacking qualities, such was PSG’s domination, but fans still have a right to expect a lot more out of two of our marquee additions whose output has diminished alarmingly since the start of February.

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